Apparently, I missed it: Ten years ago, the initialism ICYMI entered the social media lexicon by way of Twitter. Like BTW, IMO, IIRC, and others, it’s employed as an entrée to a discussion; ICYMI signals to you that the writer is going to provide context by referring to something you may not have read or … Read more
A reader asks for a discussion of these two words: I get confused when using “belie” and “betray.” Sometimes they seem to mean the same thing. Would you please explain when each word should be used, and why. The OED cites two verbs spelled belie that were in use as early as 1000 CE. One … Read more
A reader who has seen a common synonym for earthquake spelled more than one way asks, Your guidance, please. “Trembler” or “Tremblor”? Of the two, trembler is the acceptable choice. “Tremblor” is a misspelling that conflates English trembler with Spanish temblor. The word temblor entered English from American Spanish in 1876. The Spanish noun temblor derives … Read more
As a word nerd, I find it pleasurable to discover words I had not heretofore known about. Being introduced to utilitarian technical and scientific terminology generally doesn’t do much for me, but almost invariably, stumbling on a word that is new to me brings a smile to my face. The most recent joyful addition to … Read more
Often, when a sentence expresses a point and a counterpoint with the phrases “not only” and “but also,” writers have difficulty constructing the sentence in the correct syntactical order. Each of the following sentences demonstrates various erroneous ways the “not only . . . but also” construction can be misused; discussions, followed by revisions, explain … Read more
When writers, amateurs and professionals alike, employ words or phrases they have heard spoken but not seen written, they often mistakenly use a homophone or near homophone of the intended word. Each of the sentences below includes a word that is often used erroneously. A discussion and revision accompanies each example. 1. Given punk rock’s … Read more